Hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped in northwest Nigeria

Abuja: Kidnappers have abducted hundreds of schoolgirls in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, a spokesman for the state governor said on Friday.

This is the second such kidnapping in a little over a week in Nigeria’s north, where a surge in armed militancy in the northwest has led to a widespread and worsening breakdown of security.

A teacher said that at least 300 learners were taken during the Friday morning attack.

Last week, unidentified gunmen killed a student in an overnight attack on a boarding school in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger and kidnapped 42 people, including 27 students. The hostages are yet to be released.